Velha Goa

After visiting the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier ( what a privilege) we proceeded to visit the other churches. Since it was an once in ten years event, it was too much crowded.There is a detailed post on it here. We were in a dilemma. Should we go back to the parking and pick our bike or explore the area on foot and claim our bike later. We stuck with our second plan and exited our way out of the crowd. We walked towards the Old Ferry terminal. The port connected Old Goa with Panaji. Sadly when we reached the ferry terminal, it got dark so we could not take any pictures. There were jungles on both sides of the road; making it darker than usual.Perhaps the best way to reach Old goa from Panaji, the capital of Goa, is to follow the same way as the visitors did in the city's heyday. After crossing the wide river Mandovi, the Viceroy's arch marked the entrance into Old Goa. This arch was erected by the grandson of Vasco De Gama( the person who discovered India). He later became the viceroy and hence its name.

The
Viceroy's Arch. Erected by the grandson of Vasco De Gama, this
arch marked the entrance to Old Goa from Panaji, its capital across the
wide river Mandovi.

Today ferries operate from morning till evening at free of cost!! Isn't that strange! The ships carry even cars and two wheelers. I think this is the easiest way to reach Panaji from Old Goa!As it was dark we decided to take the five minute shuttle bus to the parking ( as we could not figure out which spot we were in exactly). My legs had given away so I simply sat on the road. Few people gave me stares that I might be a fashionable beggar!! He he! These are the perks of being a tourist! I could never do this in Delhi :DAfter a while the shuttle bus came. We boarded it and confidently said that we were going to the parking near the basilica of Bom Jesus. Little we knew that there were many parking areas on all the sides of the basilica. It took a while to realise we had come the wrong way and immediately deboarded. Lost, tired and hungry, we spotted a South Indian restaurant. We ordered masala Dosa and Sambhar Vada. Hubs gobbled his meal and asked me to wait at the restaurant while he would return with his bike. I waited forever. Took him around 45 minutes and I was so relieved to see him!On our way back I came to know that we were lost and it took him a big deal to figure out where exactly we were and where was the parking!! It was one and half an hour hour ride from Old Goa to our hotel in Calangute. The entire way was with river Mandovi on one side and the breeze was freezing! Our day concluded with partying on the Baga beach!

The serene Nerul river...my oh my..how many rivers does this tiny state have?